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'Smarter' selection puts Fardy and Moore head-to-head

Another spin of the Brumbies' rotation wheel has handed Scott Fardy the captaincy reins on a particularly timely weekend for the ACT side.

Fardy was the first player rested under the rotation policy, which has since included winger James Dargaville and Wallabies second rower Rory Arnold.

Now he’s leading the team while usual skipper Sam Carter is left out, with Fardy to face off against good friend and Wallabies captain Stephen Moore, who is also standing in as Reds skipper.

“I’ll be talking to him, he’s probably (going to be) telling me to shut up from the other side,” Fardy said on Friday.

“He’s been telling me to shut up for two years. I think I’ll enjoy it, it’ll be a big challenge for us.”

The 32-year-old said the continuing rotation policy was one that would only be good for the club as the season continues, after years of seeing battered bodies fall at the final hurdle.

“If you don’t learn, what are you here for?,”- Scott Fardy

“We’ve learned over the last few years that approach hasn’t worked.

“We need guys playing a lot of minutes but also managing their minutes during the year and making sure everyone’s fresh.

“Not only that but we need the whole squad to get a game.

“We want everyone to be part of it and we need guys to grab experience during the year (against) different teams so when we come to the last few rounds we’ve got experience throughout the whole 35-odd guys that are within the group.”

The Brumbies have the luxury of bringing a capped Test lock, Arnold, into their starting side with Carter out, a move that would make some of those decisions easier.

“Sam’s our captain and best player but we don’t lose much with the locks in the squad and it was the same when I left, the backrowers we’ve got can cover very easily,” Fardy said.

Fardy and the Brumbies backrow will also be taking on a player he rates as ahead of the curve, Reds flanker George Smith, who overlapped with Fardy at the Brumbies in 2013.

“He’s one of the smartest players I’ve ever played with, just the way he’s adapted his career as he’s moved on as he’s got older, he’s changed the way he’s done things a bit..

“You just to adapt what you do and keep changing with the game because it keeps changing so much. It’s changed in the time that I’ve been here and it's going to keep changing for the next few years.

“He’s been a special at that and making himself relevant in the era that he’s playing at.”

The Brumbies host the Reds on Saturday night, kicking off at 7:45pm AEDT, LIVE on FOX SPORTS and via radio on RUGBY.com.au.